1/22/2013
Post 2 of 2
"Those who can't do...teach."
I'm sure most of you have heard or overheard that quote somewhere before. Maybe in a joke, or from a disgruntled student, at a dinner party, or during a parent/teacher meeting. I take this type of "joke" very personally! Teaching has been and will always be a huge responsibility. This profession is one of the few that requires a Masters degree and forces you to continue with professional developments. Admittedly, I have run across educators who I believe were not dedicated to providing the best education to their students. I have come into contact with FAR MORE teachers who are passionate about their work and are eager to make a difference!!!
In this role, you become a nurturer, confidant, facilitator, coach and most important you begin to help this child shape the type of learner and individual they will continue to be far after high school. I know teachers who have provided food or clean clothing for students when there was none available, given Christmas gifts when Santa wasn't going to make it this year, and shown support to students who were struggling through parental divorce or death. I know teachers who have saved lives by fighting against abuse, and bullying. Overall, teachers fight hard to ensure a safe environment where kids can build relationships, learn from mistakes, dream about their future, and consider the types of citizens they would like to be.
Check this out: Taylor Mali on "What Teachers Make"
Do you know a teacher who has gone to great lengths to support one or more of their students?
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ReplyDeleteCurrently, I am not a teacher and have never worked as one. Almost every day there is someone who tells me that I am crazy for working towards becoming one. When I think of my 6th grade teacher I am, however, inspired and reminded of why I am making this choice. My 6th grade teacher always went out of his way to help his students regardless of their home and educational status. We had a student who had a lot of health issues. One time during class he had a seizure. After that he was hospitalized for a few days but he was out of school for about 3 weeks or so. I never knew exactly what was wrong with him but our teacher went out of his way. See, the student had a cousin who was in our same class and our teacher could have sent his work home with her but he didn't. He would bring it personally. He would stay and talk with the student and teach him at home as if he were in the classroom. We were all looking forward to our 6th grade graduation and our teacher made sure this student wasn't going to stay behind. One Saturday, he picked up a few students and we all went to visit. We read together, talked and laugh. This wasn't the only time he want out of his way for his students. There were so many other times and so many other instances. I think of him often and when I do I remind myself that it was teachers like him who made my educational experience a positive one regardless of the problems or situations I encountered.
ReplyDeleteI love this story, Roselyn! What an inspiration. No wonder you want to teach.
DeleteRoselyn, this truly is an inspiring story. One teacher can certainly change a child's perspective on learning! Good for you! I'm sure you will inspire your students just like he did!
DeleteHi Nicole
ReplyDeleteLast year in study skills class, I had a student with mild learning disability and even addicted of smoking weed, which was making his life more difficult. He was struggling in his US history class because he felt it very boring. The school enrolled him into online Plato credit recovery class, so that he can earn his credit for that course and graduate with the class of 2012. He started the Plato US history course,but until March of 2012 he was not even able to cover the 50% of the course. This student had the study skill class. One day I overheard his conversation with the School Social worker about his difficulty. She was suggesting him to continue the course over the summer and graduate in December of 2012. He told the social worker that, if he would not be able to graduate with his peers, he will drop out. The social worker tried her best to convince him, but it seemed he was admant at dropping. After she left,I spoke to him to complete his course with my help, but he felt that it will be impossible to complete in such short period of time. I encouraged him and even convinced him that his effort will not be wasted. I knew he trusted me.
Finally, he agreed to try one more time. I used to sit with him after school everyday for one hour. In the beginning I scaffold and gradually he picked up interest into the subject. There were days when he was frustrated, but I never lost my hope and motivated him. I read and chunked the material into smaller pieces, cued him the important information, helped him to write notes that contained the important parts of the materials. He got his confidence back and even started believing in himself. He figured out that he is not too far in passing the course. Now I could see his enthisiasm. He passed the course with a B, and graduated with his peers. He came to me with his diploma and said this would not have been possible without you. Thanks for supporting and being with me even during the days, when I was frustrated.
This incident proved that we as teachers have the power to positively change our youth's life.I believe that educating our youth is the most noble profession.
Ira
Ira, it's such a noble profession. And it often, is not given enough credit. I'm so glad you were able to reach this student. Clearly, he needed some positive attention in his life to see that he can be successful in school. That's not easy for a student with special needs.
DeleteI always enjoy stories of passionate teachers who are able to reach difficult students. All my life I've had the desire to be like one of these incredible people but never had the courage to do it, and now that I have the courage and time to pursue my dream of teaching, I enjoy these stories even more. I have not taught yet, but I have seen the effects of both incredible educators and of complacent teachers. Working in college admissions was one of the more influential experiences I have had in regards to teaching and unfortunately it was more of a negative experience. Every day I spoke to and sometimes even enrolled students who were not prepared for college. It broke my heart to see them throwing their hope and their money into a future that no one had prepared them for. It made me all the more determined to be a person that could make a difference to kids like these. This clip gives me hope for education in general. That there are people out there with this passion that can make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are finally taking the leap into education. There are always days when teachers struggle but seeing your students make great progress because of something you did or said is a beautiful feeling.
DeleteI am lucky in that school has always come easy to me. I always did my homework, raised my hand in class, and was always picked first in gym class. I breezed through high school and was excited to start my journey at Saint Joe's. Throughout my undergraduate career I had lengthy projects and 10 page papers, but nothing I couldn't handle. The one thing I struggled with was computers. Me and computers had a hate-hate relationship. I hated computers and computers hated me. I was finally at a point were I could check my email and my facebook with little trouble. You can imagine my fear when I walked into my first technology class. By the end of the first class I had 9 usernames and passwords to sites I had never even heard of. My professor assured me that we would learn together and not to worry. I left that first class and knew I had to get out of there. However, because of my soccer schedule and my advisors 'I really think you should stick it out' attitude I was forced to complete the course. I went to the second class which was just as stressful as the first. I didn't understand technology. I cried for two days. I sat down with my professor and expressed my fears of technology. She told me she'd be there for me the whole semester and not to worry so much about the outcome but focus more the the journey. And I did just that. Together, we stood up to technology. We tried different tools. We got frustrated and confused, but we also celebrated small successes and laughed and learned from our mistakes. It was truly a learning process. My professor gave me my first glimpse into the world of technology. She made it okay to fail, and for the first time in my life I accepted that. She didn't adopt a student, or make house calls, or bring food to students who couldn't afford it but she held my hand and gave me that extra push I needed. She instilled a love of learning and motivated me to stay motivated. I look back on my first technology class and I can't help but laugh. I can't believe how scared I was. I can't believe how patient my professor was and how supportive she was of my fears. Teachers have an incredible power to make or break a student. I will forever be grateful for the time and energy that professor spent helping me excel in something I was so fearful of. Sometimes just being there is the grandest gesture of all.
ReplyDeletep.s. This is the second draft because the first draft deleted right before I was about to publish. Oh how I love technology :)
Technology is certainly a wonderful thing when it wants to work and can be equally as frustrating when it leaves you hanging. Trust me...I know the feeling.
DeleteI'm glad you were able to push through your course. It proves that you'll be a successful teacher. As a teacher, you have to be prepared for the unknown and being willing to take it on...head first.
While I worked in hartford, there were many instances where we as a staff went above and beyond for our students. One of my colleagues especially was always working for her students. Our kids, for the most part, are way below grade level and she continuously tried to get them involved and motivated. She has attended award ceremonies for some of the students because there was noone else that was attending from the student's family. She attended many home matches for girl's tennis, which I coached. She is one of the main people I miss most when I think about my past school because she was great to work with when trying to help reach a student. I believe that being there for the students is extremely important. I have gone back to visit my students in hartford and it is amazing the responses you get. I feel that I needed to be more than just a teacher, when I had students venting to me about problems at home or in their life. I don't believe that you go into teaching for money or anything else, but to really help make a difference in people's lives.
ReplyDeleteLaura
Boy...that is the truth! Teachers take on many roles. The good teachers, are the ones who know how and when to balance all of it!
DeleteI was so lucky to teach across the hall from someone who I fondly refer to as "Wise Woman". She was truly a master teacher and I was able to learn from her every single day just by being across the hall from her and having the opportunity to hear how she prompted students in positive ways to keep heading in the right direction and to make the best choices that they could. One of the most amazing things about this teacher is the fact that she made huge impacts on her students, but also on her fellow teachers! I think that those of us who were so lucky to have taught with her, all became better educators because of her influence. She was constantly learning and growing, reassessing her strategies and room lay out... always improving and modifying, adapting lessons to differentiate instruction before that was even a phrase we all used regularly. She was growing like this as an educator even through her retirement year.
ReplyDeleteThis teacher made true connections with students both in measurable ways within the curriculum and beyond. One of her students had some additional learning challenges and spoke English as a second language. Her parents needed this teacher's support just as much as this student did. This teacher made time to meet regularly with these parents, as she would do for any family who needed her. Even once this student was no longer in her class, she met her former student and parents for dinner at the local kid friendly restaurant. This teacher made life long connections and life changing impact on her students, the families of her students, and all of the teachers who were so fortunate to work with her. When I cried at her retirement she reminded me about change. It is inevitable, but if you can embrace change, then you have one of the best keys to happiness. She embraced change and steadily grew as a teacher and a role model. Can you tell I am so grateful to have known and worked with such an amazing person?
-Alicia